Pizza and Forgiveness
by MagpieDreamer
Summary: PR:SPD Post 'Confronted', Jack seaks out Z with pizza and apologies. R&R folks! Note: more of a companion piece than a sequel to my other PR:SPD fic 'Pizza and Junk', but if you enjoyed that, you'll enjoy this.


**Pizza and Forgiveness**

AN: Not really a sequal to 'Pizza and Junk'. Yeah, so, Z decided not to shut up, and kept talking to me, and this happened. It's midnigth where I am, so again, probably full of spelling mistakes and type-os. Anyway, this happens directly after 'Confronted'. It's just Jack making up to Z for being such a jerk. Thanks to all you guys who reviewed 'Pizza and Junk'. I'll be very greatful if you review this (and that goes for the wrest of you, too!) So, RR, and enjoy!

Oh! And I am indebted to Shawn Mullin's song, 'Lullabye', the inspiration for this fic. :D

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'Cause even her smile looks like a frown,  
She's seen her share of devils in this angel town,  
And I sing,  
Everything's gonna be alright,  
Rockabye,  
Yeah,  
Rockabye.  
Everything's gonna be alright,  
Rockabye, rockabye, rockabye.

-Shawn Mullins 'Lullabye'

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"So, children, what did we learn today?" Z, bare foot and cross-legged on the couch in the guy's quarters, addressed the room in general, (the room's only occupant being Jack, thus making the statement a little redundant, but she continued none the less.)

Jack, who had come baring pizza and crawling apologies, rolled his eyes, "I know, okay? I know. I was a jerk. I'm sorry. Forgive me."  
Z put her head on one side, regarding her long time street-mate with scepticism. "Did you put pepperoni on that pizza?"

Jack proffered the box, pealing back the lid to reveal it's contents, "why wouldn't I?"

Z smiled, "that's my boy."

As Z took the pizza box off Jack, the red ranger made to sit down, but she waved him off. "Oh no, red boy, no you don't, you're not forgiven yet, you ain't sitting there."

Jack sighed and settled himself on the arm of the sofa. "Okay, Z, what do you want from me? Come on? What do I have to do?"

Z picked up a slice pf pizza and chewed the end of it, thoughtfully. "Be inventive, baby. Use your imagination."  
Jack buried his head in his hands. "I was a jerk, I was horrible, and most horrible of all, I made you, my wonderful, wonderful, beautiful friend, crawl through mud fields with out me."

"Ooh… keep talkin'," Z waved a hand.

Jack abandoned words and threw himself at the yellow ranger, in a sort of side-ways rugby tackle. Z shrieked as the pizza was dislodged, and trapped she was trapped under her adopted brother. "Get off me!"

Jack laughed and hugged her, "I love you, Lizzy-Bets. You're my most favouritist person in the whole, wide world!"

"Don't call me that!" Z cried, cringing at the use of her old, childhood pet name.

"Please, please, please forgive me!" Jack continued on his over-exaggerated pity spree, planting big, mocking kisses on her shoulders and neck.

Z squirmed, then began to laugh, "alright, alright! Get off, you big baby! Stop it!"

"Am I forgiven?" Jack asked, finding her ribs with his fingers and digging in with a menacing grin.

"Not the ribs!" Z grabbed his shoulders, "alright, alright, you're forgiven! You're forgiven!"

Jack pressed a kiss to her forehead, "I love you, Lizzy-Bets."

He clambered off her and sat down at the other end of the coach.

Z shook her head and retrieved the pizza box. Several of the slices had slid out and onto the floor. She sighed and picked them up, inspecting them for dust. "Eugh. Look what you did!"

Jack raised his eyebrows, "since when did you get squeamish about a few grains of dust, baby-doll?"

"Ain't squeamish," Z rolled her eyes, "and don't call me baby-doll!"

"Fine," Jack leaned across and grabbed a slightly fluffy slice, "I'll eat the ones that have been on the floor, 'kay?"

"Sure," Z swung herself round so that her knees wrested across Jack's lap, and began chewing her way through a fresh slice.

Companionable silence reigned supreme. Jack gave one of Z's toes a playful tweak, so that he received a heal in the ribs. "Don't do that."

He grinned, "you remember when we had to eat outta trash cans, Z?"

"It wasn't that long ago," Z pointed out.

"Seems like… a life time, or something, though, don't it?" Jack had gone into philosophical mode. Z sighed. She was used to this. It usually occurred around one or two AM, when they were marching the streets 'cause it was too cold to stay still, before they found somewhere to take shelter and slept out most of the day. Jack would come up with some weird-assed concept about the nature of the universe, and then spend the next four hours contradicting himself on a long, rambling one-sided conversation until he passed out in her lap from exhaustion.

"Sometimes," she shrugged. A thought suddenly occurred, one that had been nagging at her for a few days now. "Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"What if we have to go back?"

Jack swallowed his mouthful of pizza, to stare at his childhood friend with intent seriousness. "We're not going back, Z."

"Sure about that?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Baby," Jack sighed, "we're not going back, okay? Not ever. Not after this. I mean… we have like a salary now. Wages. Savings. It's not much, but it's a start. And we're never going back. No more mouldy pizza."

Z scrambled closer, tucking herself in against the red ranger's shoulder. "You promising me, Jack Landers?"

In an unusual show of open affection, Jack gently smoothed the yellow ranger's hair, "promise."

"Good."

Another long, contemplative silence. Z drew her knees up to her chest, her gaze on the opposite wall, her head wresting on Jack's shoulder. "You were a jerk today, you know that?"

"I know, baby."

"That isn't getting forgotten for a while. You know that too, right?"

"I know. But we're cool, aren't we?"

"We're cool."

"Love you, Lizzy-Bets."

"Don't call me that."

"So are we gonna eat this pizza or not?"


End file.
